Assad forces gain ground in Aleppo

Syrian government forces enter two besieged towns northwest of Aleppo.
An air of welcome and celebration as the Syrian military advances in two Shi'ite towns loyal to Damascus.
The army as well as allied militia, backed by Russian air strikes, broke through rebel lines Wednesday.
The insurgents' most important supply route from the Turkish border has been cut off.
Aleppo, just south of the Turkish border, was once Syria's most populous city. It has been partitioned into zones of government and insurgent control since 2012.
If the government regains control, it would be a big blow to insurgents' hopes of toppling President Bashar al-Assad -- after a war that has divided Syria between western areas still governed from Damascus and the rest of the country run by a patchwork of rebels.